Justine Picardie

Justine Picardie has spent the last decade puzzling over the truth about Coco Chanel, attempting to peel away the accretions of romance and lies. In this beautifully illustrated, impeccably written full-scale biography we finally discover the history of the incredible woman who created the way we look now. Coco Chanel was an extraordinary inventor - she conjured up the little black dress, bobbed hair, trousers for women, contemporary chic, best-selling perfumes, and the most successful fashion brand of all time - but she also invented herself, fashioning the myth of her own life with the same dexterity as her couture. While Chanel was supreme innovator and vendor of all things elegant and beautiful, what lies beneath her own glossy myth is far darker. Throwing new light on her passionate and turbulent relationships, this beautifully constructed portrait gives a fresh and penetrating look at how Coco Chanel made herself into her own most powerful creation. Justine Picardie brings the mysterious Gabrielle Chanel out of hiding, to celebrate her great achievements. She examines Chanel's enduring afterlife, as well as her remarkable life, uncovering the consequences of what she covered up, unpicking the seams between truth and legend, yet keeping intact the real fabric of her past.

Justine Picardie has spent the last decade puzzling over the truth about Coco Chanel, attempting to peel away the accretions of romance and lies. In this critically acclaimed, bestselling biography she shares the history of the incredible woman who created the way we look now. Coco Chanel was an extraordinary inventor - she conjured up the little black dress, bobbed hair, trousers for women, contemporary chic, best-selling perfumes, and the most successful fashion brand of all time - but she also invented herself, fashioning the myth of her own life with the same dexterity as her couture. While Chanel was supreme innovator and vendor of all things elegant and beautiful, what lies beneath her own glossy myth is far darker. Throwing new light on her passionate and turbulent relationships, this beautifully constructed portrait gives a fresh and penetrating look at how Coco Chanel made herself into her own most powerful creation. Justine Picardie brings the mysterious Gabrielle Chanel out of hiding, to celebrate her great achievements. She examines Chanel's enduring afterlife, as well as her remarkable life, uncovering the consequences of what she covered up, unpicking the seams between truth and legend, yet keeping intact the real fabric of her past.

The much anticipated and beautifully illustrated Sunday Times Bestselling Biography Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life was first released to great critical acclaim in 2010. Now the paperback edition of Justine Picardie's biography of the French fashion designer Gabrielle Chanel has arrived. The Mail on Sunday calls it 'gripping', the Sunday Times declares it to be 'fascinating', the Telegraph 'elegant' and 'brilliant'; while the Daily Mail hails it as a 'vividly told account, in the style of Chanel herself'. This is the definitive biography of a heroine who founded the most successful fashion label in history; a woman that transformed her life into a myth veiled in enigma and scandal; whose talent and innovation endures beyond her own pioneering sartorial creations. Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life was written by Justine Picardie as a celebration and investigation of Chanel's phenomenal achievements. Shortlisted for the Galaxy National Book Awards, selling over 50,000 copies thus far, and now translated into 15 languages worldwide, this eloquent biography has revealed the hidden secrets of the legendary Chanel. After a decade on the trail of previously unseen evidence left by Chanel, the author's exploration of Chanel's extraordinary life traces the emergence of an inventor and storyteller who rose above the poverty into which she was born. Following clues to Coco's early years in a convent and passionate love affairs with playboys, artists and aristocrats, Justine Picardie deftly weaves together the lost threads of Chanel's life. In doing so, she uncovers how an abandoned child came to conjure up the iconic creations that were proudly worn by legends in their own right, from Jackie Kennedy to Marilyn Monroe, who famously declared that she went to bed in nothing but Chanel No.5. The pioneer of the little black dress, bobbed hair and trousers for women, Chanel was so much more than a couture aficionado; for in reinventing herself, she was also to become one of the most influential women in history.

Richard Avedon's iconic fashion work not only changed fashion photography but also changed the way the world looks at fashion. One of his most prolific collaborations was with the House of Dior, which can be traced back to 1947, just after the haute couture house had taken the Paris fashion world by storm. This lavish volume includes 150 iconic and many never-before-published photographs by Avedon, featuring glamorous models and celebrities, including Marlene Dietrich, Suzy Parker, Sunny Harnett, Dovima, Carmen Dell'Orefice, Dorian Leigh, Capucine, Lauren Hutton, Anjelica Huston, and Barbra Streisand. Avedon's images document Dior's fashion, as well as fashion history from the '40s through the '70s. With an eye for moments of grace, drama, and humor, as well as a mastery of light and contrast, Avedon captures the essence of Dior's elegant designs, the style and personality of the iconic women who wore them, and incredible moments in photography that will intrigue photography, art, and fashion lovers alike

Miss Dior is a story of freedom and fascism, beauty and betrayal, roses and repression, and how the polished surface of fashion conceals hidden depths. It paints a portrait of the enigmatic woman behind the designer Christian Dior: his beloved younger sister Catherine, who inspired his most famous perfume and shaped his vision of femininity. Justine Picardie's journey takes her to Occupied Paris, where Christian honed his couture skills while Catherine dedicated herself to the French Resistance, until she was captured by the Gestapo and deported to the German concentration camp of Ravensbruck. With unparalleled access to the Dior family homes and archives, Picardie's research into Catherine's courageous life shines a new light on Christian Dior's legendary work, and reveals how his enchanting 'New Look' emerged out of the shadows of his sister's suffering. Tracing the wartime paths of the Dior siblings leads Picardie deep into other hidden histories, and different forms of resistance and sisterhood. She explores what it means to believe in beauty and hope, despite our knowledge of darkness and despair, and discovers the timeless solace of the natural world in the aftermath of devastation and destruction. The result is an exquisite and unforgettably moving book. *A beautiful, full colour illustrated book featuring exclusive images from the Dior archives* 'Catherine's story is beautifully, hauntingly told in spare and elegant prose by Picardie . . . moving and evocative.' THE TIMES

Příběh výjimečného života Catherine Dior (1917–2008), jež byla múzou svého bratra Christiana i statečnou členkou francouzského odboje. Britská spisovatelka Justine Picardie se vydává po stopách mladší sestry jednoho z nejvlivnějších světových módních návrhářů, která ho inspirovala k slavnému parfému a ovlivnila jeho pojetí ženskosti a krásy. Dva roky po druhé světové válce se Paříž vzpamatovávala z německé okupace a toužila žít znovu naplno. Christian Dior byl tím, kdo jí na poli módy vdechl nové sebevědomí, když představil svou první kolekci známou pod pojmem New Look. Styl vytříbeného luxusu, ženskosti a elegance znamenal revoluci v dámském odívání a z Paříže opět udělal centrum světové módy. Ve stejné době jako New Look vznikl také Diorův první a dodnes legendární parfém Miss Dior pojmenovaný na počest jeho mladší sestry Catherine. Ženy, jež riskovala život v odboji proti nacistům a přežila mučení, koncentrační tábor i pochod smrti. Té, která bratra v mnohém inspirovala a opatrovala jeho odkaz až do své smrti. Ale zatímco se Christian Dior stal jedním z nejznámějších Francouzů na světě, Catherine zůstává v jeho stínu. Kniha Justine Picardie je cestou k nápravě: pečlivě rekonstruuje Catherinin životní příběh a současně zkoumá odkaz něžného bratra, který nedokázal zapomenout na sestřino utrpení, byť její rány halil do květinového hedvábí a vůně lásky. Text doprovází velké množství vzácných dobových fotografií a ilustrací.

SLEEK. CHIC. NOTORIOUSLY GUARDED. WELCOME TO THE SECRET WORLD OF COCO CHANEL. Justine Picardie’s definitive biography explores the dark mysteries hidden beneath the shimmering surface of a fabled fashion icon. Unveiling remarkable details about Coco Chanel’s traumatic childhood and her flight into unconventional adulthood, this beautifully constructed portrait reveals her passionate and painful past, her turbulent loves and losses, her quest for fame and fortune, and how she transformed herself into her own most powerful creation. Feared and revered by her contemporaries, Chanel died in 1971, but her legacy lives on as an enduring global brand. Drawing on interviews with her last surviving friends and relatives, and unprecedented archival research, Justine Picardie brings Chanel out of hiding, unpicking the seams between reality and myth, and telling a timeless story that uncovers the true art and heart of fashion. This special new edition has been extensively revised and updated, and offers a uniquely authoritative account of the greatest designer in the world. Adding fresh insights and discoveries, it comes complete with a compelling array of previously unseen images from the Chanel archives.